By Jeff Appelblatt
Opening day for the high school baseball season is slated for April 1, though practices and scrimmages are usually going on daily by the middle of March.
This March, however, has seen fields filled with snow and ice. As a result, practice has been minimal and scrimmages have been nonexistent.
Freehold Township High School, for instance, had five scrimmages canceled between March 11 and 18. The snow, ice and sloppy wet grass throughout the state didn’t allow for the exhibition games to be played.
Patriots coach Todd Smith won’t take the limited practice time too hard. He’d like to see his team play regularly, but he knows his team isn’t the only one facing fields that aren’t ready to be played on.
“Everyone has to deal with it,” the coach said a day after his team’s most recent scrapped scrimmage.
Chances are the Patriots will have time to watch their field dry off and be prepared for opening day April 1 in Freehold Township against Jackson Memorial High School. The game is slated for 11 a.m.
Last season, the Patriots (9-16) and the Jaguars (9-14) played just once, and the Jaguars won that game, 3-2.
Perhaps Freehold Township will even fit in a few scrimmages before that game. Weather-pending, the Patriots have five more scheduled between March 22 and 30.
The Patriots have seven seniors eager to start the season: Mike Pirrotta, Andrew Beam, Zach Pericone, Nick Coluccio, Greg Najar, Matt Beuka and Tyler Hayden. There would be an eighth, but senior pitcher Ralph Gambino is injured and won’t suit up at all this year.
No matter how unpredictable the weather may be, there’s no doubt that all the high school umpires are ready to shout the usual, “Play ball!”